Toy wall panel with resistive hinge connections

ABSTRACT

A child&#39;s toy comprised of a planar scaled wall panel with connective elements. The wall panel is formed of a planar section of solid material ( 10 ) and has a connecting arm ( 11 ) with a connecting element ( 12 ) at the top corner of one end. A notched void ( 13 ) with a receiving element ( 14 ) is located at the top corner opposite of the connecting arm. When it is used with other like wall panels the construction resembles three-dimensional walls of scaled buildings. The connecting elements when attached together allow resistive rotation simulating plastic deformation of building joints and allowing observation of collapse and partial collapse of the construction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to children's toys, specifically to such toys which have detachable wall panels that may be connected resembling toy buildings.

2. Description of Related Art

Children enjoy activities of assembling and dismantling three-dimensional objects. Popular toys have included numerous constructions sets with attachable pieces. Most construction sets include very small pieces making assembly of walls and simulated buildings time consuming sometimes beyond the attention span of some children. Smaller pieces that may be fit into mouths are also considered hazardous for small children. In addition, most construction sets when assembled produce very rigid structures, which inhibit observation of the collapse and partial collapse of the construction. Children particularly enjoy observing the reverse of construction.

Inventors have designed many types of interconnectable toy wall panels utilizing hook and loop type fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,269 to Murphy (1998) discloses a set of six planar wall panels utilizing hook and loop type fasteners attached to all four corners of each panel, such that the panels may be assembled into a cube. However, the construction disclosed does not resemble toy buildings and securely fastens corner edges with 3-degrees of rotational fixity which disallows collapsible rotation about the panel top edges.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,301 to Dodge (1990) discloses a set of planar construction pieces with opposing surfaces covered with hook and loop type fastening material and connector strips of hook and loop type material. Such panels are connected when the fastener strips are placed across the edges of two panels. Although this construction does resemble a toy building, the cost would be prohibitive to produce requiring large quantities of expensive hook and loop type fastening material to cover all surfaces. The construction described by the patent does allow the panels to rotate relative to the panel edges with out restraint. However, the construction does not allow for the panels to be connectively fastened at the top corners in such a way as to allow resistive rotation about the connection point to simulate collapse through resistive joint rotation.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,634 to Chang (1999) discloses a kit for building objects of foam blocks covered with loop type fabric with double sided hook type fastening pieces for interconnecting blocks. The double-sided hook type fasteners allow two pieces to be adjacently connected with the double-sided hook fasteners between. The construction identified is similar to the previous patent and does not allow for the panels to be connectively fastened at the top corners in such a way as to allow resistive rotation about the connection point to simulate collapse through resistive joint rotation.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,998 to McMurray (1989) discloses a building play toy kit having panels with curved edge strips attached. Each edge strip has alternating overlays of hook and loop type fastening material such that panels are easily joined along the full edge effectively creating hinged edges. U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,019 to Harvey (1977) discloses a building toy kit containing planar elements having detachable edges when pressed together, lock and create hinges at the connected edges. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,411 to Kurzea (1987) discloses another similar construction utilizing planar panels that are also connected at the edges by hinge type connections. The construction identified by these patents allows for rotation about panel edges, but does not allow for the panels to be connectively fastened at the top corners in such a way as to allow resistive rotation about the connection point to simulate collapse through resistive joint rotation.

In addition, the construction previously described by the above patents does not allow the connected panel edges to move independently with reference to each other, which inhibits deformation of the construction toward collapse.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention includes an interconnecting play toy for children utilizing scaled planar wall panels with connective joints at the panel top corners. The connective joints allow for resistive rotational displacement about the joint and allow panel edges to move independent of adjacent panel edges. The present invention has the desired effect of simulating resistive joint deformation in buildings and allows observation of the structure in various stages of collapse when a collapsing force is imposed.

The panels are formed of rigid or semi-rigid material similar in size and shape. A connecting arm extends in the plane of the panel from one top corner of the panel and has a connective element attached. A notch is located in the panel at the opposite top corner large enough to positively connect to the connecting arm of a second panel. The notch has a receiving element attached to receive a connecting element. The connecting and receiving elements, when connected, allow resistive joint rotation parallel to the plane of the panel.

Children enjoy construction toys that resemble buildings. However, if the toy is difficult to assemble or takes significant time, the child may lose interest. In addition, children especially enjoy deconstructing toys and the observation of effects of loss of structural capacity and collapse. Most toy construction sets are not designed to simulate structures in various stages of collapse. Unlike conventional fastening methods of toy construction sets, the present invention allows for quick and easy assembly of buildings with wall panels with the added benefit of observable restrained collapse by resistive joint rotation at the panel top corners.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a child's construction toy which allows rapid connection of wall panels simulating building walls and or mazes.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a toy construction system which allows observation of restrained collapse from projectiles and other methods of forcibly collapsing the construction.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy construction system that allows for the construction to forcibly deform to unstable construction.

It is a further object of the present invention to simulate plastic deformation of structures through the use of resistive hinge connections.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a child's construction toy that is relatively safe for small children with out small parts.

It is a further object of the present invention to minimize parts to connect to provide scaled buildings for use in playing with small toy figures and scale vehicles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention showing a singular detachable wall panel.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of several detachable toy wall panels used together.

FIG. 3 is a detail view of the connective elements of several detachable toy wall panels attached together.

List of reference numerals in drawings

10 wall panel

11 connecting arm

12 connecting means

13 notched void in wall panel

14 receiving means

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION—FIGS. 1 to 3

A typical embodiment of the detachable toy wall panel is shown in FIG. 1. A planar section of solid material 10 is used to form the wall panel. A connecting arm 11 is attached to or formed integrally with the planar section of solid material 10 and is located at an upper corner of one end of the panel. A connecting means 12 is permanently affixed to or formed integrally with the under side of the connecting arm 11. A notched void 13 is integrally formed or cut into the planar section of solid material 10 at the upper corner and opposite of the connecting arm 11. A receiving means 14 is permanently affixed to or integrally formed with the planar section of solid material 10 in the notched void 13 and positioned for receiving the connecting means 12 of a like panel.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of several detachable toy wall panels used together. Planar sections of solid material 10 which form the panels are oriented vertically at 90-degree angles to each other. Connecting arms 11 with the connecting means 12 are positioned over notched voids 13 and receiving means 14 to detachably connect the panels in a manner that resembles walls of buildings.

FIG. 3 is a detail view of the connective elements of several detachable toy wall panels attached together. A singular connecting arms 11 and its respective connecting means 12 are positioned over a notched void 13 and its respective receiving means 14 which are oriented at a 90-degree angle to the connecting arm 12. In addition, another notched void 13 and its receiving means 14 are positioned under the connecting arm and oriented at 180-degrees to the connecting arm 12.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the reader will see that the detachable toy wall panel of this invention meets a need and has a function not addressed by other inventions. Children desire assembly type toys which minimize assembly time and maximize the volume of the construction. In addition, children desire to observe the reverse of construction, the collapse of structures assembled. The invention described meets these needs with the following advantages:

-   Its connecting system is designed to exhibit plastic hinge     deformation for the purpose of observation of collapse and partial     collapse of the construction. -   It maximizes volume of construction when compared to construction     toys. -   It requires minimal construction time when compared to construction     toys. -   It minimizes hazards to small children due to the size of its     components. -   Its manufacture is simple minimizing production cost.

Although the description above contains many specificity's, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the specifics given. 

1. A planar scaled wall panel with connective elements such that when used with multiple scaled wall panels, the construction resembles three-dimensional walls, said devise comprising: a panel formed of scaled planar section of solid material where in said panel has opposing ends and a topside when the plane of the panel is oriented perpendicular to a support surface. a connecting arm extending from said panel at the top and end of said panel; a connecting means on said connecting arm for connecting to a like panel; a notched void at the top of said panel and opposite end from said connecting arm; and a receiving element in said notched void for receiving positive connection from said connecting element on a like panel.
 2. The planar scaled wall panel of claim 1 whereby said connecting means and said receiving means when placed form a resistive hinge which allows for resistive rotation of the joint.
 3. The planar scaled wall panel of claim 1 wherein said panel is composed of flexible material.
 4. The planar scaled wall panel of claim 1 wherein said panel is quadrilateral in shape.
 5. The planar scaled wall panel of claim 1 wherein said connective elements and receiving elements are preferably hook and loop type fasteners.
 6. The planar scaled wall panel of claim 1 wherein said panel is scaled to the relative size of a single story building in relation to traditional toy army figures and toy vehicles.
 7. The planar scaled wall panel of claim 1 further including voids cut from said panels resembling windows and doors.
 8. An article of manufacture for connectively placing multiple scaled wall panels together resembling scaled buildings with resistive hinge type connections at the top corners of the wall panels with the desired effect of plastic deformation of joints when a force is imposed, said article of manufacture comprising: a planar wall panel composed of solid material and scaled to a size relative to traditional toy figures and vehicles; where in said planar wall panel has a plurality of corners and a top side when oriented at 90 degrees to a support surface; an extension element affixed to a top corner of said planar wall panel; where in said extension element has a topside and underside. a notch in said planar wall panel located at the top corner opposite of said extension element, said notch being of sufficient length to receive said extension element of a like planar wall panel; a fastening device consisting of male and female counterparts with one said counterpart affixed to the under side of said extension element and the other counterpart affixed to said notch of a like planar wall panel wherein said fastening devise when connected allows resistive rotation parallel to the plane of said panel.
 9. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein said planar wall panel is composed of flexible material.
 10. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein said planar wall panel is quadrilateral in shape.
 11. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein said fastening devise is preferably composed of hook and loop type counterparts.
 12. The article of manufacture of claim 8 further including voids cut from said planar wall panels resembling windows and doors.
 13. The article of manufacture of claim 8 further including graphics applied to said planar wall panel surfaces resembling surfaces of buildings. 